Gun measures could come to Oregon with or without gun owners' input

Supporters of Initiative Petition 43 gather to drop off more than 3,000 signatures to be verified. The initiative would restrict the sale, production and ownership of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
ANNA REED / Statesman Journal

The newest measure, submitted by the group called Oregonians for Safe Gun Storage, would require gun owners to use safety devices in storing and transferring firearms and report stolen or lost guns within 24 hours. Owners who fail to comply and have their gun used to injure or kill someone within five years could face liability for the harm.

The initiative faces the same high hurdles as the first. More than 88,000 signatures must be collected by July to be certified by the Secretary of State before the general election in November.

Both measures likely face appeals to the Oregon Supreme Court by either in- or out-of-state opponents, which means it could take months for a ruling. And by law, petitioners can't gather signatures while the court case is being reviewed.

Which means it's unlikely either measure will be on this November's ballot.

But, and gun advocates should take note of this, the effort of these two groups indicates a willingness, no scratch that, an eagerness on the part of many Oregonians to introduce gun control through the initiative process.

Direct democracy is controlled by voters. Oregon has been steeped in it since the early 1900s, and it's been used frequently to amend the state's Constitution, change laws enacted by legislators and bring new ideas to the state.

Initiatives in Oregon have capped property taxes, approved the legalization of recreational marijuana, allowed Oregonians to use assisted suicide, which was one of the most controversial ballot initiatives in the state's history, and denied driver's cards to undocumented workers.

The initiative process is not immune from out-of-state interests, lobbying and big money. So it should never be taken lightly.

Florida, the site of the high-school killing in February that left 17 students and adults dead, also has used the ballot initiative this year to address gun violence. Though, a technicality will keep it off the November ballot.

These two attempts in Oregon's two initiative attempts should be a wake-up call for responsible gun owners in Oregon.

The Second Amendment does not guarantee "unregulated" access to guns. So while some are bleating that they would welcome IP 43, because a vote would bring out the redness in the state like never before seen, it might also bring out a deeper shade of blue.

Young people who are leading protest marches say they are registering record numbers of new, young voters. They claim a willingness to support candidates for office and measures that align with more restrictive gun control and not the National Rifle Association.

This means gun owners can wait and hope the numbers don't materialize, or they can come to the table to talk about compromises.

Let's fashion regulation we all can live with, and that leaves us all safer and with our constitutional amendments intact.